Peaceful Sleep
by Ame de asobu neko
Summary: What if Naofumi's past contained a dark secret? What if a single sentence from a spiteful woman brought it back to life? ALERT: contains a mention of violence.


Going to sleep was somewhat hard for Raphtalia, ever since the first Wave of Calamity. Nightmares about her parents' deaths would plague her sleep, memories of the things that happened blending in with the horrors conjured by her mind. Of course, now that she had Master Naofumi, things started to get better, but she still had trouble sleeping peacefully through the whole night.

Although that wasn't what was bothering her right now.

Ever since Master allowed her to sleep in his bed, she's been waking up pretty rested and full of energy, but she always woke up second, with Master Naofumi already dressed and ready for the day. When she went to sleep, no matter how late, he was still up and about, exploring the Status menu or going through their stock, mixing medicine or planning the budget – generally doing anything _but_ preparing to go to bed.

And since _that _day, anytime she woke up at night, be it from another nightmare or something mundane like needing to visit the loo, she always saw him still fully dressed, looking like he's been working on something.

And that was the thing that worried Raphtalia. Did Master have _any sleep at all_?

Sure, being the Shield Hero meant that he wouldn't get tired as easily as any other person around – his resistance to such things was impressively high – but she was certain that no one could go on without rest forever. Not even a Hero.

She could already see dark shadows under his eyes, his every move screamed exhaustion and his hands had started trembling about three days ago, slightly, but still noticeably.

Right now, they were at the biggest market in the capital of Melromarc, and Master's face was getting darker and darker because of the continuous attempts to overcharge them from every local vendor.

"Let's get outta here", he finally groused, and turned sharply on his heels, only to sway and stumble a bit, steadying himself with a hand on a nearby stall.

"M-master!" Now _that_ had Raphtalia almost panicking.

Master Naofumi closed his eyes for a moment and let out a slow breath.

"C'mon, Raphtalia", he just said tiredly and led her out of the market and then the city itself.

"Were are we heading?.." she asked tentatively, afraid that her master will do something rash while his mind was so obviously clouded by tiredness.

"River" was the only answer she got, but it was enough to make Raphtalia relax a little. She knew what it meant – they were heading to the pretty familiar by now clearing on the riverbank where they usually set camp if they needed to visit the capital.

It was also the same clearing they used when they first started their grinding. Raphtalia doubted her master was stopping here each time out of any sentimental value – it was much more probable that he did it simply because the place was very convenient for camping – but she still appreciated being here. With a small smile she remembered her smaller self, ill and scared, and all the things her master did for her. She was much, much stronger now, and not just in the muscle department. The Shield Hero healed her both physically and emotionally, gave her a new life and a new purpose, and always went out of his way to provide for her.

Speaking of which, even now her Master was stopping every now and then to pick some of the more potent herbs to transform into medicine later. A closer look revealed Romona – one of the plants used to make herbal teas – among the growing pile. Coincidentally, it was also Raphtalia's favourite.

A warm feeling spread through her chest. Master usually appeared as a cold and harsh man to outsiders, but he took very good care of his companions. There were moments when she could only think how sweet of a person he actually was under that icy exterior.

"What?" the subject of her thoughts turned his suspicious gaze at her, as if sensing what she was thinking.

"I-it's nothing, Naofumi-sama! Let me help you some!" She tried to divert attention from herself with a slight blush. The man just sighed wearily, holding her gaze for a moment more.

"Yeah, that would be good" He turned away and continued his trek through the forest. Taking out a small knife, Raphtalia set about helping him as much as she could.

* * *

A couple hours later they finally reached the familiar clearing.

"Raphtalia." Naofumi finally broke the silence they lapsed in on the way. "Where is –

"MASTER~!"

With a thud, the young man was brought to the ground by the third member of their party, a giant ball of feathery destruction whose name belied its true dangerousness.

"Firo-chan! Get off Naofumi-sama this instant!"

"But -

"No buts! And get into your human form, if you would!" Raphtalia quickly pulled Firo, who transformed with a quiet "poof", off to the side, shooting a worried glance to their master. He was just lying there on the grass, looking a little dazed, which only added to her concerns.

"Firo-chan, don't you remember what we talked about?" She admonished quietly. The blonde girl's eyes widened, and she winced guiltily.

"Good. Do try to give him a break, okay?" She wispered, before patting the Filorial girl on the head and heading over to their master.

"Naofumi-sama, are you alright?" She asked, taking his hand in an effort to help him up. With no small measure of concern she noticed how he flinched at the contact, but then his eyes cleared and he grasped her hand back. Firo swooped to Master's other side, and together, they hefted him on his feet and led to the tree trunk they used as a seat in front of the fire.

"Okay," he drawled, sitting down with a sigh, "that was quite the welcome, Firo." The girl's cheeks reddened a little, but she pouted nonetheless.

"That's because Master left me here for the whole day! It was sooooooo boring!"

"And _that's_ because every time I take you to a market, we have to spend twice the amount of money on food." Naofumi replied dryly. The Filorial only pouted more in response.

The Shield Hero sighed again and tiredly rubbed his face. "Okay, enough of the bullshit. I should probably start making dinner."

"Yay!" Firo jumped with her fist raised high, her pouting fit all but forgotten. Raphtalia and Naofumi shared a look filled with equal parts fondness and exasperation, and moved to prepare what would be a very big dinner, her portion of which Firo would still swallow down in mere minutes.

She was Firo, after all.

* * *

The darkened sky found them all around the fire. Firo was sleeping, a mass of feathers again that moved a little in time with her breathing. Raphtalia silently watched from her seat on the tree trunk as Master Naofumi was putting away his tools, finished with making medicine for the day. When he made no move to get ready for bed, Raphtalia finally voiced some of her worries:

"Naofumi-sama, I'll take watch today, you really should rest."

Her master paused mid-motion and silently contemplated the suggestion. Just as he opened his mouth, no doubt to object –

"Please."

His shoulders sagged a little.

"I…"

On the spur, Raphtalia decided to be as blunt and honest as possible. She would do anything to help her master.

"I know you haven't slept for ten days. Today will be eleventh if you continue to keep it up. You look terribly exhausted, Naofumi-sama." Concern laced her voice, and her pink eyes didn't move from the rigid form of her master. "Why? What troubles you so much?"

The young man in front of her suddenly looked even more tired than before, if at all possible; wait, no, not tired. He looked – defeated, and, Raphtalia noticed with growing horror, almost on the verge of tears.

"I can't." He answered, the words almost too quiet to hear. At his companion's pleading look, he continued. "I can't sleep... Every time I close my eyes, I see..."

His face contorted in a grimace, and Raphtalia was quick to put her hand on his, taking note of the small flinch again.

"You don't really have to tell, if it hurts so much, Naofumi-sama," she said softly. "But there is one thing I know for certain.

When I allowed myself to feel protected by you, when you allowed me to sleep beside you – my nightmares weren't so awful anymore."

She looked at him steadily.

"They certainly won't disappear in one night, but they will be much more bearable – if you allow me – " she opened her arms for him " – if you allow me to protect you."

There was a brief moment of hesitation, fear written clearly in his eyes. For a second, she thought he would close himself off again, like he usually did.

Then, in a flurry of movement, he was in her arms, shaking hands holding onto her like a lifeline.

Holding her master in a tight embrace and listening to his anguished sobs, Raphtalia didn't know what to think. She has never seen him like this, no matter what, not even after his duel with the Spear Hero. He was crying then too, but this – this seemed so much worse somehow. There was no anger in him right now, only pain, and it was swallowing him whole.

With a deep frown she recalled the day her master started this no-sleep routine of his. They have been in the Lute village, and suddenly, the Spear Hero Kitamura Motoyasu showed up with his party and announced that the King made him the new landlord there. After Master cut him down verbally, and princess Malty took out a scroll with the royal decree, mysterious figures appeared in the middle of the gathering. They must have been representing a very influential somebody, because out of the blue, the princess declared that a racing match between two Heroes would decide who rules the land.

Of course, the ever-joyful Firo utterly decimated her competitor, even with all the foul tricks that have been used against her.

And then, Raphtalia was sure of it, happened _something _that affected her Master so much.

She clearly remembered how the enraged princess came close to Naofumi-sama and said something, but the cheering crowd around them prevented her from hearing what it was. Raphtalia still could picture in detail the way her master paled at the words and took half a step back; even after the princess left, dragged away by others, he just stood there, staring ahead with unseeing eyes.

When she tried to pull him out of this strange stupor, he recoiled from her touch and fled from the scene so quickly, she didn't stand a chance of catching up. Several hours later he returned, looking pretty normal, and refused speaking about what happened, stating that it was nothing and she shouldn't worry. Of course, that only made her worry more.

That night was the first of many to come and go with her Master getting no sleep whatsoever.

* * *

After many minutes the sobs finally subsided, and Naofumi sagged a little against his companion. His breathing still hitched occasionally, but he finally calmed down enough for Raphtalia to speak:

"Naofumi-sama?"

"Hmm?" He sounded a little sleepy, she noticed, and a soft smile flitted across her lips.

"Would you mind moving somewhere a bit more comfortable? You must be pretty stiff already."

He didn't lift his head, only nodded, and together they rose and moved to their sleeping bags which were lying on the ground side by side near the sleeping Filorial. With measured movements, Raphtalia helped her master get out of his armour, the young man man looking anywhere but at her. He tried doing it himself, but his hands shook quite badly, so with an apologetic grunt and a sigh the Shield Hero surrendered the job to his self-proclaimed sword.

She then proceeded to sit down and pat her thighs quite meaningfully. The message was unmistakeable, so with another sigh Master lied down, using her legs as a pillow.

Raphtalia hummed in content and ran her fingers through his hair, noting with some surprise that it was very soft. She never touched his hair before, but from the looks of it, she thought it would be coarse, just like he usually was. Instead, his pitch black hair had a nice silky quality to it.

With every move of her hand, Naofumi gradually relaxed and let himself be slowly coaxed into sleep. As his breathing evened out, the young girl allowed herself to relax a little, resting her back against Firo's warm side, and prepared to wait for the inevitable.

Thankfully, at least a couple hours passed before her master started twitching and mumbling in his sleep. He suddenly tensed, and his eyes flew open, a single croaked "no!" leaving his lips.

"Shhh, it's just a dream, it's okay." Raphtalia started running her fingers through his hair again in an effort to calm him down at least a little. A trembling hand caught hers and pressed it to his face. With a start, Raphtalia felt moisture under her fingers.

He was crying again.

It tore her heart to see her beloved master like this.

"I'm right here, Naofumi-sama, I won't go anywhere." Raphtalia hesitated a little, but steeled her resolve, and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead. "You mean the world to us, and we love you with all our hearts. _I _love you with all my heart."

He stiffened at the declaration, then slowly raised their linked hands to look at her. There was a whirlwind of emotion in his green eyes – fear, anger, shock, surprise, guilt, hope – but above them all there was sadness.

"You … you can't love me."

She opened her mouth to speak again, but he beat her to it.

"I am an awful man, Raphtalia. I bought you, made you fight, _hurt you_." The way his lips barely moved and his jaw tightened, she could tell her master was trying valiantly to fight his emotions.

"I hate the Trash king and that bitch Malty, and those pathetic quasi-heroes, but most of all… I hate myself." The Shield Hero closed his eyes, but couldn't stop more tears from falling. "S-sorry," he groaned in frustration, letting their still joined hands fall back over his eyes. "Now you'll just probably think I'm pathetic."

"Of course not!" She bristled slightly, her tail swishing. "You're the strongest and the most kind-hearted man I know, no matter what anyone says, even _you_. I will always stand by your side, Naofumi-sama, just as I've sworn to!"

A few minutes of silence passed between them. Raphtalia was gently petting her Master's hair, thinking he had fallen back to sleep, until –

"Mother." Master Naofumi said quietly, which confused the young woman.

"What?..." _'Are you calling me your…'_

"I can't sleep because every time I try to, I see my mother."

"Oh." _Oh._

The man took a deep breath.

"Trying to strangle me."

Raphtalia gasped. "Did … Did i–

"… yes."

She covered her mouth with the free hand, pink eyes huge and teary.

"N-naofumi-sama…"

"I've never been one for sob stories," his mouth twisted into a frown, "even less so since I've been summoned here, so you probably would've never known… But then the Bitch had to come and look just like _her _and say _the exact same words_…" he stopped, seemingly unable to continue for a moment.

"It felt like it was happening all over again, I could almost sense _her_ hands on my throat," Naofumi gritted his teeth. "I thought I've finally moved past this shit, I thought things couldn't get any lower than what _they_ did to me… but then again, I've never had much luck, did I?" His voice became hollow. "Maybe I just wasn't born to be happy…"

"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!"

"…"

Dull green eyes looked at Raphtalia with slight surprise. Realizing her outburst, she turned bright red with embarrassment.

"I-I-I m-mean, er, w-well…" One of his eyebrows slowly rose, making the young woman lose any steam she still had.

"I-I think," she mumbled, lookind to the side, "I think everyone deserves to be happy, and Naofumi-sama more than many others… M-master, you mean a lot to me, to us, and we'll do anything, _anything_, to make sure you're well. W-we want to see you happy…" she finished almost inaudibly, closing her eyes in dread. She never let herself speak about such things to her master before, and didn't know how he would react.

* * *

A calloused, yet so tender, hand on her cheek startled Raphtalia, and she opened her eyes, only to widen them in shock.

Her master was smiling – his first true smile since their meeting at the slave trader's – and it was so _beautiful_. His eyes were different, too, soft, and filled with something Raphtalia could only describe as affection.

"Thank you." Even his voice changed, matching his eyes.

Raphtalia's breath caught in her throat, and she could only nod dumbly.

"I'll…" his smile dimmed a little, but he pressed on. "I'll tell you the rest of the story –

"You don't have to, Master!"

– tomorrow." He finished as though she never interrupted him. "But now," his smile widened again, "I think I'm in need of some more sleep."

Raphtalia's heart was almost exploding in her chest, and tears were welling up in pink eyes. She smiled brightly through it all.

"I'll watch over you, Naofumi-sama."

The Shield Hero closed his eyes, sighing in content. A small smile was still on his lips, even as he fell into peaceful sleep for the first time in a long, long time.

This time around, Raphtalia knew, it would not be interrupted.

Well, maybe only by Firo.


End file.
